High-Octane Hopes for Brad Pitt's Formula 1 Dream
Revving up for a new spin on the racing genre, Joseph Kosinski teams up with Brad Pitt in the film F1, aiming to capture the electrifying world of Formula 1. Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a name that sounds straight out of a racing video game, playing a once-great driver drafted out of retirement. His mission? Rescue the floundering APXGP team from fading into oblivion and whip upstart racer Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) into championship shape. It's a classic set-up: underdog team, faded veteran, brash rookie, and the powerful money men circling for control.
With Kosinski—best known for "Top Gun: Maverick"—calling the shots, you'd expect the action to deliver. And it does, with cockpit shots that genuinely place you in the driver’s seat as tires screech at the limits of physics. Unlike most racing movies that cut away from the speed, this one throws the audience right into the heat of the circuit, letting you feel every gear shift and near-miss. But beneath all the noise and dazzling visuals, the story keeps slipping into familiar territory we've seen too many times before.
Clichés Stall the Action
Pitt commits hard to his role as Sonny, a driver with ghosts in the rearview mirror and a lot to prove. But no matter how much grit he brings, it’s tough to shake the sense he’s miscast. He’s asked to play not just a driver outpaced by time, but a mentor whose life echoes a real-world anxiety about aging actors in Hollywood. This is hardly new territory for Pitt after films like "Babylon," but in F1, these themes come off as shopworn rather than sharp.
As for Damson Idris, he nails the cocky young racer energy, sparking a few good fiery exchanges with Pitt. If only their rivalry and partnership felt less paint-by-numbers. By the time the inevitable handshake comes, you can see it coming from the first pit stop. Kerry Condon's Kate McKenna, the team’s technical boss, hints at a storyline that's both fresh and timely, but the movie barely gives her room to maneuver before shifting back to the dudes in the spotlight.
The supporting cast includes Javier Bardem as the high-strung team owner out for one more miracle, and Tobias Menzies as the ominously slick investor sniffing around for a buyout. They, too, tick boxes rather than surprise. Watching them, it's impossible to ignore the giants like "Rush" and "Ford v Ferrari" looming over every close-up and slow-motion finish. This one lacks the emotional punch and original spark that made those films stick in the memory.
- Spectacular racing scenes that put you on the edge of your seat
- Predictable plot beats: aging legend, bratty rookie, and a team in crisis
- Thin character work, especially for female leads
- Overfamiliar threats from boardrooms instead of the racetrack
It's a shame, because Formula 1 is packed with stories that rarely get told on the big screen. F1 wants to reinvent the genre, but in the end, it feels like it just follows the trail left by better films.
